July 31, 2009

Just a quick note to say there has been somewhat of a battle here between me and myself this week. It has resulted in me feeling so far behind on several things that I have officially locked myself in the house for the entire weekend and now on in to Tuesday next week. That's right, I have given myself that huge chunk of time to try and get caught up, no more running around like I have been for the last 2 weeks. I swear, if I had just reversed knitting time with driving time these last couple weeks I would have patterns ready to go for the next 8 months!

So, if you live in Bellingham or in the surrounding areas, and you see me over the next few days, I ask that you come up to me and ask me why I have left my home and insist that I go back there and get to work again. Got it? Although, Mr Danger and the pugs and I take a walk every morning, so you don't have to worry if you see the whole Danger herd together in a walking area.

July 29, 2009

One of my customers sent me the cutest poem the other day that I thought I would share with y'all. I thought it particularly fitting since we had to go out to breakfast/lunch yesterday since I hadn't been to the grocery store and we had no food in the house....

She learned to knit on Monday. Her stitches all were very fine. She forgot to thaw out dinner. so we went out to dine.

She knitted toys on Tuesday. she says they are a must. They really were quite lovely. But she forgot to dust.

On Wednesday it was a sampler. She says knitting's fun. What highlights! What Shadows! But the laundry wasn't done.

Nine squares were on Thursday - Green, yellow, blue and red. I guess she really was engrossed; She never made the bed.

It was knee rugs and afghans on Friday, In colors she adores. It never bothered her at all, That crumbs were on the floors.

I found a maid on Saturday, My week is now complete. My wife can knit the hours away; The house will still be neat.

Well, now it's only Sunday, I think I'm about to wilt. I cursed, I raved, I ranted, Cause the MAID has learned to KNIT.

And I must say I thought knitting for work was fantastic until it has been in the 80-90's in our house the last week. Touching fiber in that is just lovely. Luckily the landlord left an air-conditioner in the garage for the upstairs. It didn't really work in the main parts of the house, only brought it down one degree. So, Mr Danger put it in our bedroom last night and it is amazing in there. I am grabbing my laptop now and am off to watch movies and knit in the perfect 70 degrees until I have to pick Mr Danger up from work tonight.

July 21, 2009

Hi, I'm Rebecca and I'm a knitting magazine addict. I actually have a reasonably small yarn stash, especially considering how quickly yarn is gone through around here. But my vice lies in knitting magazines and knitting books. Let's just say I've never met a knitting magazine that I haven't fallen in love with. For some reason though I cannot seem to get myself to actually subscribe to any of the magazines I am constantly buying, saving myself a significant amount of money each year I am sure. I talk about subscribing, I talk about subscribing almost daily, and I certainly talk about subscribing every time I buy a magazine. I think the problem is every time I buy one in the store the thrill dies off after I get it home and drool over all the beautiful photography and lovely garments and I don't think to subscribe until I see the next issue again in the store. At which point if I go subscribe I will probably miss the amazing current issue, so I just buy the copy on the shelf. As you can see this is a vicious knitting magazine cycle.

So instead, off I go buying magazines sans subscription every time I am in the grocery store, a yarn store, or a craft store. Just yesterday and today I have bought these two:

I know, I've got a problem. But, being the complete sucker I am how could I resist when this showed up in my mailbox:

Gah, under $10 for a year's worth of magazines?! And you sent it in an easy-to-respond card form which means I don't have to go digging through all my back issues to hopefully find a subscription card (though normally I immediately pull them all out and chuck them). And you made it all shiny and pretty and easy to respond to, without the thrill of a magazine in my hands and then on my bookshelf. Sigh, I'm in.

Alright, you hear this all you other knitting magazines out there? Send me a nice, shiny, glossy, packet in the mail and you can get a subscription outta me. Subscription cards in magazines only seem like the best way to hook me, but no: a simple packet will do. Geesh, maybe I should change my name to Rebecca KnittingMagazineSucker Danger. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me?

July 20, 2009

So, this feels like the weirdest post ever since I never really like pictures of myself, BUT I know how much enjoy seeing pictures of blog writers so I am doing it anyway. I had a magazine ask me for a picture of myself for an article they are doing on my Sweater Bears this fall and since I had only small size pics I had to take a new one. I tried by myself with the timer on the camera, but I tell you, that is some feat to get a good picture! So, Mr Danger helped me out the other night and I thought I would share with you a few that I had deemed "acceptable enough for internet upload."

They're all fairly similar, but I thought I'd give you a couple more.....oh and sorry that they are super rough and un-touched-up!

And the winner? The winner was this one (which Mr Danger did touch up for me):

Nah-nah! You're used to seeing monsters and critters and pugs on here normally! The internet is so funny since you get to hear all about me as a person and you get my tiny little pictures, but you don't see me on a daily basis like a normal relationship. I don't know, I feel like I am "friends" with so many of you, yet I wonder what kind of image you think of when you think of me. So there you go, I've taken out the guess-work for ya! This is the person who does all the writing, knitting, and sewing you see on the blog. Enjoy!

July 17, 2009

Since the new pattern is a striped monster and I got the best link to a jogless jog tutorial the other day I thought it fitting to share with you today. Thank you Carey (PiccoloBlue on Ravelry, check out her longies!) for the link.

It is so, so easy. I tried it out on my last Daphne and my current project and it works out pretty darn well. My only problem is I analyze the term "jogless jog" in my head WAY too much as I am doing it and think of it every time I see a jogger run by on my daily lake walk with the girls (that would be the pugs) and Mr Danger. But, that is my own personal mental issue and really has absolutely nothing at all to do with knitting. And we certainly don't need to start discussing my mental issues here, now do we?

Other than that it is very hot today. Mr Danger got a reading on the car temp of 103 on his way to work. It is so hot in fact that I got all prepped and ready to sew some knitting bag orders and have decided instead to opt out and sit on the couch, fan pointed directly at me on high, and get some knitting done while watching a movie instead. I will try to sew again tomorrow earlier, before the hottest part of the day.

July 16, 2009

Alright, I don't know about any of you, but I knew that I needed to do a Momma and Baby monster pair for awhile now. I mean monsters are great, but baby anything is even greater!

I am pretty happy with this set, though I must admit each pattern that comes out tends to be my favorite. I just love, love, love the pocket. Think about it, just Daphne would make a great gift giving gift. That's right, you understand what I'm saying! Wouldn't it be adorable to stick money or a gift card in her pocket? She is so big and huggable too, she would be a great gift on her own. Or just Delilah, she's super quick, you could even give a whole basket full of baby monsters, or party favors, or.....oh well, you see where I'm going here.

So, the pair is currently up for sale in my etsy shop, and I am in the middle of the flickr/ravelry thing so check there in a little bit. Enjoy!

July 15, 2009

First of all, to all of those visitors from whipup.net: Welcome! Thanks for stopping in, the Monster Chunks pattern is up there to your right.

Alright, so I know I disappeared there for a couple weeks but I assure you it was for legitimate reasons. I packed up and shipped my first order from my distributor, Deep South Fibers. It was a great order but this was the first time I had done a "production run" of putting my patterns onto CD's for Local Yarn Shops to stock and I ran into quite a few snags along the way. Let's just say you probably wouldn't have wanted to read anything I put on le blog for a few days there. But in the end I made it through, and they came out great!

Shipping the CD's was the real question since I figured they could break pretty easily. I thought I would just drop those stacks (those are stacks of 100 if you were wondering) into those flat rate boxes, but once I got it all packed up I didn't think there was enough padding and freaked out, called Mr Danger at work in a panic, and we re-packed everything in much safer shipping arrangements. The order wasn't just for patterns either, we had a whole big pile o' bags to ship too:

And not only that but I brought out 2 new colors of knitting bags last month and had a big serge of orders, so there was a lot of knitting bag sewing as well.

And then I was also working on Monster Chunks, plus the new pattern (due out tomorrow, I'm super excited!), and well there you go. I was in my house working like a wackado, that's where I have been. And again, trust me, you didn't want to hear anything I had to say on most of these days!

But, I got through everything and I am sure I am a better person because of it (or something like that). Now I know the next time a CD order comes in I am going to hire someone else to do it so that I can keep my sanity (which I do believe I have been losing at a rate of about 2.5% a day for the last month).

Alrighty, off to put the finishing touches on tomorrow's pattern! And then maybe take a nap, just re-reading this made me tired.

July 14, 2009

So I (and everyone else in the entire world) has heard the "my dog ate my homework" excuse and I am sure if you are like me you believe that this is totally ridiculous and would never happen, right? Well, I got home from knit night last week to find my sweet, lovely, darling, wonderful, favorite, puppy, baby had been on a kick while I was gone and had gone through everything in site. She dug through my purse, ate an addi turbo package (not the needles), pulled an empty travel-sized tylenol bottle out of my bag and chewed on it (no tylenol in it, don't worry), and among other things chewed on a Monster Chunk and ate my just corrected Monster Chunks draft. Yes, ate it:

Do you see that?! I have NO idea where the other 3/4's of the pattern went, there was nigh a scrap in the house anywhere. I guess she actually ate 75% of a piece of paper. Can you believe that?!

So you say, "Rebecca, why was your pattern out on the floor where the pugs could get it?" and I would answer that it was up on my coffee table and the pugs shouldn't have been able to get it. Or even have been interested in a piece of paper for that matter. Tell me, why do I have pugs again? They make my life easier, right? C'est le vie, no?

But anywhoo, the pattern got corrected anyway and thanks everyone for the lovely comments here on le blog and on ravelry, and all the twitter and blog shout outs. I am so glad y'all love the Chunks as much as me!

Alrighty, Happy Bastille Day (notice my random bits of french today)! I am off to knit through and correct the next pattern while watching an episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Although the sun has come out now, maybe I will tempt my allergies and go sit on the porch. Bonne Chance!

Oh, and yes, that is a mention of the next pattern, coming out this Thursday in my etsy shop. And I must say, this one has come out tres cute.

July 10, 2009

Ok I know I have been terribly, terribly lacking on the blog front but I promise it is for totally legit reasons which I will tell you about later. How about I make up for it by putting out a FREE PATTERN?!!

If you look to your right there, just above the Nuggets pattern I have just put up my second free pattern, Monster Nuggets:

Taa Daaa!!!! Can I tell you how in love with these guys I am? They are literally popping up all over the house and have been for the last several weeks as I have worked on them. Notice the 7 in this picture here? Yes, there are 2 more that were made after the picture was taken. At least a couple of them are going to be making their way to work with Mr Danger to sit on his desk just to make some more room at home.

These are too, too fun and I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do! To download the pattern just click on the button right up there on the right hand side of the blog here. Or, I am off to ravelry now to put them up for free there too.

Just email me with questions, and I would love it if you email me pictures of finished Chunks too!

Alright, I promise better blogging ahead. Things have calmed down quite a bit and I think I have everything back under "control" now. Now go, get knitting! And if you don't know how to knit, go learn how!